


Fun in the Sun

by Blink_Blue



Category: How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: Amusement Parks, Established Relationship, Eww, Fear of Heights, Fluff, M/M, Motion Sickness, Summer, Vomiting, and being domestic, general coliver being cute at a park, water parks, water rides
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2016-09-29
Packaged: 2018-08-18 14:10:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8164658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blink_Blue/pseuds/Blink_Blue
Summary: Oliver drags Connor to an amusement park, where grumbles ensue.





	

“I thought you said this was going to be fun.”

Oliver gapes at his boyfriend in disbelief. “This _will_ be fun,” he emphasizes slowly. And as his boyfriend rolls his eyes, his own swing up to look at the coaster they’re waiting in line for. He’s practically shaking in eager anticipation. It’s been years—over a _decade—_ since Oliver had visited a theme park. He hadn’t been to one since he was a teenager! And there is no park with more thrills on the east coast than Six Flags.

“I can’t believe you’ve never been to Six Flags before!” Oliver says excitedly, as he gently elbows his boyfriend in the ribs, to Connor’s annoyance.

Connor shrugs, making a face as he pulls at his t-shirt, shaking the fabric that sticks to him uncomfortably, trying desperately to generate a breeze to combat the heat. “What’s the big deal?” He asks, looking around at the endless crowd of people in line with them. “The park is full of loud, annoying kids and their exasperated parents. The food is shitty and expensive, and we’re pretty much definitely going to be spending most of the day in line, right?” He gestures a hand at _the line._

“But roller coasters are _so much fun!”_

Connor cringes silently as he side eyes the large green tracks of the contraption that can only be described as a _freaking death trap–_ as opposed to its actual name–Goliath _._ He hadn’t admitted to Oliver that he had never been on a roller coaster before. All he said was that he’d never been to a Six Flags… Truth be told, the things scare the crap out of him. Hopefully not literally. But Oliver had been so excited when he brought up the idea that they should go to the park, and he hadn’t shut up about his excitement since. So obviously, Connor wasn’t going to ruin it by admitting that he was _terrified_ of roller coasters… death traps that go way too fast and way too high, spin and twirl, go upside-down and backwards, and basically do all things to the human body that by logic and reasoning no one should _want_ to be done to the human body.

“We’re just askin’ for it,” Connor mutters under his breath.

“What did you say?”

Connor swallows nervously and shakes his head as they finally reach the front of the line. He stares at the train before them as Oliver bounces excitedly on his feet next to him. Connor had done his research, on this coaster and all the other ones Oliver had wanted to go on. Two hundred feet in the air, a one hundred seventy five foot drop, and a maximum speed of seventy miles per hour. None of that prepared him for the feeling of dread as they got strapped into their seats. He checks the harness and the seat belt about half a dozen times before the attendant comes over for the inspection. He wants to ask her to double check just in case, but he bites his tongue as Oliver next to him, asks if he’s ready.

He can only nod his head.

And then the ride rumbles to life. Slowly the train backs up. _Why the fuck are they going backwards?_ Connor’s eyes are wide as the train slowly takes them higher and higher. He stares at the ground, never having considered before that he might have a fear of heights. He has a sudden, very strong desire to have both his feet flat on the ground—where they belong. And just when he thinks they’ve reached the maximum height, the brakes release.

The velocity of the drop pulls the air from his lungs. He has no fucking idea how Oliver—and the rest of the riders—are screaming because there is literally no air in his lungs to scream with. They spin around and around— _ooh the sky looks pretty and blue—_ too many times for him to keep track of. His head repeated smashes against the padded restraint around his shoulders. He can’t even appreciate how nice the scenery looks because he’s too terrified that he’s going to have a heart attack. Just when he thinks the ride is over, and he can finally breath again, it dawns on him that they’re still in the air—oh no… They drop, and complete the whole track over again—backwards.

It’s definitely worse backwards.

When the train finally slows to a stop, he’s strongly fighting the urge not to vomit. He can practically taste the bile in his mouth.

But Oliver, oh sweet love of his life Oliver, is whooping and laughing in the seat next to him, after clearly having had the time of his life.

_“Ah that was awesome! Did you like it? It was over way too quick!”_

_Bullshit,_ Connor thinks to himself. It was the longest minute and thirty seconds of his life.

When the restraints are off, he’s way too shaky on his feet. He desperately wants to reach a hand out to Oliver for support, but the other man is two steps ahead of him. Oliver’s grabbed their bags and is already heading out the exit as Connor is still struggling to hold onto the contents of his stomach. On wobbly legs he follows the back of his boyfriend.

“Wasn’t that great?” Oliver asks excitedly once they’re side by side again. “We should go again before the end of the day!” He says before Connor can even answer.

Connor’s head continues to spin as his stomach churns his breakfast around nauseatingly. “It was fun,” he manages to say.

“What’s next?” Oliver looks around wildly. “That one!” He points to the coaster next to them. A red one this time. Yet another large, loopy coaster that has him grinning and grabbing his boyfriend’s arm, dragging them both into the line. “That was so much fun! We have to hit every ride in the park!”

Connor can only nod silently, in no condition to say actual words. He feels faint as he stares at the long line ahead of them. Maybe it’s the heat… or the motion sickness. Probably a combination of both. The sight of the tracks, the mere thought of being on another life endangering _max thrill_ death trap has him weak in the legs.

So it turns out Connor Walsh hates roller coasters.

But Oliver loves them, and Connor isn’t going to ruin the day by saying anything. So they wait in line. As Oliver rambles on about all the fun things they’re going to do in the park that day, Connor leans over and rests his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder, eyes closed, not really listening… just hoping that the spins will go away soon.

Eventually Oliver realizes the other man has been awfully quiet.

“Connor?”

“Hm?” Connor opens his eyes and grumbles incoherently. He looks around them and at the small bit of progress they’ve made. “So many lines,” he mutters softly.

“It’s worth it!”

Connor doesn’t think so.

Eventually they reach the front and Connor’s stomach has mercifully settled down. Thankfully this ride isn’t as bad as Goliath. It was awfully bumpy though, and it still leaves him shaky on his feet, feeling like his stomach is doing somersaults. He pales dreadfully when Oliver drags him to the next coaster on their list. _This time_ , his stomach betrays him.

About a minute after the ride is over, Connor’s sprinting to the nearest trash can and he empties the contents of his stomach as Oliver sympathetically rubs his back.

“I can’t—I can’t do it!” He gasps as he spits out the remainder of the bile in his mouth.

Oliver cringes and hands him a water bottle, which Connor thankfully takes. His stomach sputters unpleasantly when the warm water hits it.

“No more loopy roller coasters—please.”

“You don’t like them,” Oliver says bluntly, the realization dawning on him.

“I hate them!” Connor screeches loudly.

“Come on,” Oliver gently takes him by the arm and brings him over to a nearby bench to sit. “Do you want me to get you anything?”

Connor makes a face. His empty stomach is still tense and achy but he’s already feeling better by the minute. He’s not sure if he’s ready to put anything back in it yet. “Can you get me a coke?” He asks softly.

Oliver grins and nods, walking over to the nearest stand to overpay for Connor’s beverage.

Connor’s feeling much better by the time Oliver returns. They sit side by side for a while as Connor sips the sugary drink.

“If you didn’t like them you should have told me,” Oliver lightly scolds, a smile on his lips as he gazes at his boyfriend.

Connor shrugs. “You clearly love roller coasters, I didn’t want to be a party pooper.”

“It’s okay, Connor.” Oliver says comfortingly, resting a hand on his thigh. “There’s plenty of other stuff to do here. There’s a whole water park! And—and smaller rides, that don’t go upside down or anything crazy like that…”

Connor makes a face skeptically. He really doesn’t want to ruin the day and truly, he feels bad that he’s not enjoying the intense rides that Oliver’s clearly a fan of.

“And… and there are games too!” Oliver continues, trying to make the other man feel better.

“Games?” Connor raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah, like games where you can win toys and stuff!” Oliver points his finger in one of many directions that feature such things. Carnival games where you can overpay for a snowball’s chance (on a day like this) of winning a prize that’s likely worth a fraction of the cost to play for it.

“Those games are for children,” Connor says, frowning at the kids shooting water guns at the target. “Children who beg and beg their parents to empty their wallets just so they can win a dumb prize.”

“It’ll be fun,” Oliver tries again. “There’s still plenty of stuff we can do.”

Connor nods reluctantly as a bead of sweat trickles down his face. He fans himself with the park map sticking out of their bag. “I feel a lot better. We can go on more rides. Just… no more big loopy ones that go a hundred miles per hour. Please.”

Oliver laughs softly as they get to their feet.

“Why you would ever trust a giant metal contraption to twirl you upside down, scrambling your brain is beyond me,” Connor mutters as they start walking.

They spend the next hour going on a few of the tamer rides. The lines are still long, and Connor tries his best not to bitch and moan while enduring the heat. But Oliver still has a good time as he drags them from ride to ride.

A small swarm of children suddenly run past them, quickly followed by their poor, stressed parents. Connor makes a face, cringing and freezing in place as the kids scramble around them. The one downside to the tamer rides is the notable increase in the number of small, screaming children in line with them. “Darn snot nosed kids,” he grumbles as Oliver smirks at him. He silently wonders how Oliver manage to convince him to spend their first day off together in a crowded park full of screaming kids and aerial vomit?

“You don’t get motion sickness from spinning, do you?”

Connor stares at his boyfriend, shaken out of his thoughts. “How the fuck would I know?”  

Oliver looks at him with wide, hopeful eyes, pointing a finger at the ride to their left.

Connor turns his head, then lifts it, squinting his eyes in the sunlight and craning his neck all the way back just to see the top of the ride.

“It just takes you to the top and spins!” Oliver says, trying not to show excitement and failing. “It’s not fast! And it doesn’t go upside down or anything!”

Connor groans silently to himself. His neck aches from staring up for so long. It’s really fucking high. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Oliver wasn’t wrong, the ride goes relatively slow compared to the ones they were on at the beginning of the day. And it would be fine, if it wasn’t for the fact that they’re sitting on a _fucking swing_ four hundred feet in the air!

“If I wasn’t terrified of heights I’d probably love this!” Connor screams as he refuses to relinquish his death grip on Oliver’s arm. He already made the mistake of looking down, so safe to say he’s learned his lesson. He’ll be keeping his eyes firmly closed until they’re back on the ground again. “But I’m terrified of heights! So I FUCKING HATE IT!”

Oliver rubs the other man’s arm comfortingly. But his gaze is on the horizon. The view is _gorgeous_ , and if Connor had looked around and not straight _down_ he’d probably love it too.

“Open your eyes, Connor! It’s gorgeous up here!”

“Fuck no!”

“Come on—”

“Fuck you!”

Oliver snorts and doesn’t nag again. He grins and enjoys the view on his own. The breeze at that altitude is nice too—a welcome reprieve from the midday heat of summer. He lets Connor continue to bury his face in his shoulder—the other man’s grip is tight enough to be uncomfortable. But Oliver simply pats his thigh lightly as they begin their descent.

Connor takes a shaky breath once the ride comes to a stop. He thanks high heaven once his feet hit the ground. “I had no idea you were such a thrill seeker, Ollie!” He says darkly. “You little daredevil you,” he grumbles as they walk together to the exit, still tightly gripping Oliver’s arm as the other man grins at him. “Fucking adrenaline junkie…”

Oliver rolls his eyes. “There were kids on that ride, Connor. I think it was pretty tame.”

Connor shakes his head, not having any of it. He’s miserable. And he had been miserable all day. Rides aside, they’ve spent the majority of their morning waiting in line in the god awful humid August heat. It’s nearly a hundred degrees out! His shirt is soaked through with sweat, his hair is a mess, and he’s just plain uncomfortable!

“I can’t take this heat anymore! Look at me! Just look at me!” Connor grabs the other man by the shoulders and shakes him. He gets an endearing smile from Oliver in return.

“You look gorgeous babe.”

Connor groans and resumes resting his head on Oliver’s shoulder—his preferred position all day. “These lines are soooooo long. Ollie, we’ve literally been in line all day. I’m going to die in this line—if not on the ride!”

Oliver grimaces. Connor’s sweaty hair is soaking through the material of his shirt, which is already covered in his own sweat. He’s not exactly comfortable either.

Behind them, a group of small children scream loudly about their excitement.

“Make them stop,” Connor whines softly as he fans himself with the map.

“Okay, last ride,” Oliver says, taking pity on his boyfriend. “Then we’ll hit the water park, okay?”

Connor moans miserably. At the very least, it couldn’t be worse! In fact, the water park seems to be a marked improvement! His spirits lift almost immediately once they peel their sweat soaked shirts off. The midday sun blasts against his hot skin, and he watches as Oliver takes a bottle of sunscreen out of his bag and starts applying it liberally to his arms.

“Want me to get your back?” Connor asks, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

Oliver rolls his eyes, but he’s grinning as he turns around, and Connor takes the bottle from his hand.

Connor’s palms carefully rub the sun screen over the other man’s back, over his shoulders, and even down the back of his arms. When he’s done he places a quick kiss on the back of Oliver’s neck.

Oliver smiles softly at the rare public display of affection, and quickly returns the favor. He piles all their belongings into the small locker they rented and takes Connor’s hand, leading him into the wave pool.

“Let’s cool off before the rides!” He says.  

Connor acts like a whole different person once he’s in the water. The cool water hits his skin and the relief from the heat  and humidity of the day has him gasping as he submerges himself in the water. He looks up, rubbing the water from his eyes, and sees his boyfriend, barely in the water to his hips, grimacing from the chill.

“Are you kidding me?” He gasps. “Get in here! The water’s great!”

“No, no…” Oliver starts, “just let me slowly—”

Connor cuts him off, and stumbles closer, splashing water about him, much to Oliver’s clear displeasure. He grabs the other man by the hand and yanks them both into the water, cackling madly as Oliver shouts and sputters in shock.

“Okay, okay,” Oliver manages when he comes up for air. “The water’s pretty damn nice,” he admits.

Connor’s grinning like a maniac as he floats around on his back. This is the best he’s felt all day. He doesn’t even bat an eyelash when a small, shrieking boy bumps into him in the water. He swims out of the way and laughs as he waves his arms wildly, splashing Oliver in the face with water.

“What are you a child?” Oliver shouts, but he’s even laughing himself.

They continue swimming around the crowded wave pool—it seems most of the park’s attendee’s had the same idea. And finally, they manage to find a semi-secluded area and Connor wades over, bending his knees so that he’s submerged to his shoulders in the shallow water.

Oliver laughs softly when Connor’s hand reaches out and touches his abdomen, and those laughs turn into full giggles when Connor starts tickling him, showing no mercy and pressing Oliver against the fake rocks behind him.

Oliver lets out a breathy laugh when he realizes how close they are. Close enough to kiss.

Connor seems to have a different idea, and Oliver gasps and pushes him away when he feels Connor’s hand pressing against the front of his swim trunks.

“No—Connor, no!” Oliver looks around eyes wide. “There are _kids_ here! And—and families! We can’t do this here! You’re going to get us kicked out!”

Connor makes a face. “Fine. You’re no fun.” But he sneaks a quick peck onto Oliver’s cheek before the other man can protest. “Let’s go on some water rides!”

Now Oliver’s the one left trailing after his boyfriend as Connor quickly directs them to the nearest water slide. And then the next one. And the next one after that. In a shocking turn of events, Connor loves water slides! And Oliver loves watching his boyfriend run around finally enjoying himself on a scorching hot day. And yeah, maybe the fact that Connor’s dripping wet, his hair messily falling into his face, and his swim trunks continuously riding up his thighs… maybe that has something to do with it too.

Finally, they’re _both_ having a blast!

As the end of the day nears, they decide to cool off in the water playground. Which—for one thing—Oliver was very surprised Connor was in to at all, given the sheer number of small children running around screaming and playing. But Connor seems to be having the time of his life, repeatedly going under the sprays and basking in the buckets of falling water. Connor grins lovingly at the antics of a sibling pair playing a few feet from them. The young boy lifts his sister up so she can reach the spray of water coming from above, grasping at it with her small hands.

“Don’t get any ideas now,” Oliver says jokingly.

Connor rolls his eyes. “Come on Ollie,” he says softly. “Let’s go home.”

Oliver nods. It’s been a long, tiring day. “You had fun?”

Connor grins. “So much fun. Thanks for suggesting this.” He reaches out for the other man and they walk hand in hand to their locker.

Once they’ve gotten changed and dried off, they leisurely head towards the park entrance. They’re in no particular rush to get home. But suddenly, Connor stops and grabs Oliver’s arm, pointing to a row of carnival games.

“We never played!”

Oliver makes a face. “You’re the one who said they’re nothing but a waste of money!” He says, staring at the other man. “The games are always rigged to lose!”

“No, no! Let’s play!” Connor says, pulling them over to a ring toss game. “Just one game!”

Oliver concedes, but lets the other man pay for it with his own money. It turns out the ring toss is a lot harder than it looks. Not only do you have to get the ring onto a bottle, but it has to be one of the _few_ specially marked ones. But much to his (and Connor’s exasperation), after about seven tries (and more money than the park deserves) Connor finally wins a prize.

He chooses a large stuffed minion, the one with a single eye. And Oliver watches him endearingly as Connor smiles goofily at it.

Oliver watches silently as Connor walks over to a tired family also heading for the exit. And the little girl’s arms are glaringly lacking one large stuffed minion. He holds it out, and her face immediately lights up. Connor looks to the parents for permission, and they gratefully nod to him.

“Thank good care of him for me, will ya?”

“Thank you, mister!”

Oliver walks up slowly as the family steps away, and once they’re gone he turns to his boyfriend. “What happened to those ‘darn, snot nosed kids’?”

Connor grins softly. “Ah, they’re not so bad.” He shrugs his shoulders, smiling despite the sunburn he already feels on his shoulders. “Maybe one day we’ll even have a few of our own!”

Oliver raises an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

Connor swings an arm around the other man’s shoulders as they resume their steps towards the park entrance. “Don’t get too excited. You’re going to be the one taking them on roller coasters which means _you’re_ going to be the one dealing with their aerial vomiting on the rides.”

Oliver laughs. “I think I can handle that.”

“Yeah?” Connor asks softly.

Oliver nods, with a happy, excited flutter in his stomach. “Yeah.”

**Author's Note:**

> [x](http://winters-blue-children.tumblr.com)


End file.
